Conspiracy
by evilqueenmayor731
Summary: One-shot for Outlaw Queen week on tumblr. Day 2 prompt was 'trapped together'. Please note this hasn't been reviewed, revised or beta'd in any way. Regina gets a call from Snow that she needs help with baby Neal right away. What she finds at the Charmings surprises her.


Regina knocked once, then opened the door to Snow and David's apartment and let herself in.

"Alright, I'm here, what's the big emergency?" she called out, expecting to find Snow whizzing around the apartment in a panic. Instead she found the last person she wanted to see.

"You," she said to Robin, who looked equally surprised to see her. In his arms was a fussy Neal. Save the two of them, the apartment was empty.

"Me," was Robin's one-word reply. Despite his surprise, he was grateful to no longer be alone with the infant. Even though he had experience with children, he was woefully uninformed regarding how to care for one in this world.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, though the answer was obvious. The more appropriate question, if she'd stopped to think, would have been where the baby's parents were. When she found them, they would be lucky to come out of the conversation in one piece.

"David asked me to watch the boy so he could take his wife out for their anniversary." Robin had not seen Regina since Marian's reappearance at Granny's. Days had stretched into weeks, and the longer he went without speaking to her the harder it became. They'd made an art out of avoiding one another – apparently obviously so. Enough that a conspiracy to get them together had been born.

Unable to withstand the infant's crying for another minute, she took him from Robin's arms, immediately being able to tell what was causing him such discomfort.

"Well at least I can see why Snow felt my presence was needed here. Don't you know how to change a diaper?" Regina asked, all of the pain and confusion and loss she'd felt since she'd seen him last weighing heavily in her tone. She carried Neal to the changing table and laid him down. Everything she needed was there on the shelf below.

"Of course I do," Robin replied. "Cloth diapers. The strange things they call diapers here completely baffle me." He gave the baby up easily, watching her as she took control. Just how much he had missed her struck him hard, like a hammer to the chest.

Looking down at Neal, Regina was reminded of when Henry was a baby, and her anger toward Robin was tempered somewhat. She managed to smile down at him as she undid the snaps on his onesie and removed the soiled diaper.

"They're not so complicated, once you get started," she replied. "The thing is, you just have to dive in. Don't worry about making a mistake, because you probably will. Eventually you'll get it right." She wasn't sure she was still talking about changing a diaper.

He was certain that she wasn't. "I see." He walked up behind her, seemingly to watch how she did the job. She disposed of the dirty one, then retrieved several wipes to clean up the baby before putting on a clean diaper. She was careful to lay a small cloth over him in case of accidents. It only took one shower from a baby boy for a parent to learn.

"I'm sorry," Robin said softly. Regina turned her head to the side, not quite looking over her shoulder.

"Was that to him, or to me?" she asked.

"Both?" Robin said with a heavy sigh. He watched as she took the clean diaper and slid it under the boy's bottom, then pulled the front over and attached the strips that held the sides together. It was quite ingenious compared to cloth, he had to admit.

Neal was once again a happy little baby. He gurgled and drooled as Regina re-dressed him, then picked him up and carried him to the crib.

"I'm listening," she said, her back still to him, the man to whom she'd finally opened her heart after so long, only to have him fail her at the first test of his faithfulness. She would let him see her face when she knew she would be able to control its expression.

"Regina, I… I have no explanation for you. I can think of a hundred excuses but none are sufficient. I can never make these past few weeks up to you. I know that," Robin said, standing in place. For some reason it was easier to talk to her back. He didn't have to see the pain in her eyes, and know that he had caused it.

"I've missed you," he said. "So has Roland."

Regina's hands gripped the rail of the crib. She'd never thought that finally talking to him would hurt more than the silence and distance.

"And what about your wife?" Regina asked. Yes, what are you doing about the giant abyss that has opened up between us named Marian?

"Marian doesn't belong here. She admits that. We've been trying to find a way to send her back. At first I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to give you hope without knowing if we could succeed. Regina…" He couldn't stand the distance any longer. He crossed the room and took her hand off the crib, forcing her to turn and face him. He hadn't expected to see tears on her cheeks.

"She was my wife, back when I was the Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor who had a carefree heart. But losing her changed me. Raising Roland on my own changed me. Finding you, falling for you… that saved me. And I have no idea how to make this work but I will do whatever it takes to see you smile again." He touched her cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Why did it take this for you to say that to me?" she asked, her anger and hurt paling in the wake of his touch. If he'd only come to her sooner, he'd have saved both of them so much anguish.

"I was a fool. I wanted everything to be perfect, so I could come to you and hand you my heart on a silver platter, and be able to promise you a future free of complications," he said, his words making real how wrong he had been. Real life wasn't perfect. The path of true love never did run smooth.

"I've had a lifetime's worth of silver platters," she replied as she laced her fingers through his. "What I care about is the heart, is you. That's all I need." More tears trickled down her cheeks. It was so hard for her to be open and vulnerable, but even after all that had happened, she trusted Robin with her heart. She had from the beginning, quite literally.

His fingers slipped through her hair and around the back of her neck, pulling her to him. He kissed her softly, sweetly, lovingly. He knew then he would never leave her again, no matter who appeared from wherever or whenever.

"I love you, Regina," he said against her lips. She pressed her forehead to his and sighed. She was emotionally exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.

"And I you, thief."


End file.
